Apparently, airlines can be fined up to $25,000 if passengers don't get off the phone, and passengers themselves can be fined as well. The passenger could not be reached for comment by the AP, but a business associate said that Mr. Jones' father was having a heart attack and and he was on the phone with the hospital.

"He expresses regret for the inconvenience that it caused the airline and its passengers, but he felt compelled because of the life and death nature of it to make that call," Clayton said in a story for Monday's online edition of the Austin American-Statesman.

Southwest passenger cited for refusing to get off cell phone [Houston Chronicle]
(Photo: Zonaphoto)

"The Transportation Department's inspector general released a document Wednesday showing that the number of such events involving Continental planes jumped from 19 in 2005 to 42 in 2006 to 96 in 2007," the paper said.

Internal Continental memos show that management was encouraging pilots to skip refueling stops:

None of the flights examined in the report landed with less than the minimum quantity of reserve fuel mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. But the report cites two internal Continental memos, in February and October of last year, urging pilots to reduce refueling stops when possible.

In a statement stressing that "safety is our top priority," Continental said it "doesn't cut corners on ensuring aircraft have enough fuel. We put on ample fuel at the start of each flight, and there is a significant reserve."

By declaring a fuel emergency or telling controllers they have "minimum fuel" aboard, pilots get expedited handling from traffic controllers. The FAA is working to clarify when pilots should resort to those phrases.

As early as August 2006, according to the report, there were suspicions in a local FAA office that Continental pilots were using fuel issues as a "flight-planning tool" to avoid going to an alternate airport. Continental has about 70% of the traffic at the Newark airport, and it accounted for 65% of the overall fuel events last year.

Even if such incidents pose no direct safety threat to passengers, the report concludes, they create "a burden on the air traffic system and an extra distraction for controllers" in a busy region.

Continental's Low-Fuel Claims Rise [WSJ]
(Photo:Meghann Marco)

I'm a longtime reader of consumerist and could definitely use y'alls help in my current situation. I am on a week long trip to Denver for a conference. The conference has been good, but the trip has been plagued with mishaps. I forgot my cell phone and my wallet in my husband's car when he dropped me off at the airport....Luckily I had my passport and mini-wallet which contained my debit card. By the time I realized my phone and wallet were not with me, my husband was long gone and the verizon payphone at the airport would not allow me to call his verizon cell phone. So, no phone, no credit cards, but I figured I'd be okay for a week with a debit card.

Checked into the Hotel Monaco Denver on 2/29/2008 with no problems. They swiped the debit card and gave me my room key. All was fine until yesterday evening, 3/5/2008 around 5 p.m. Denver time. I get a call from a Lisa at the front desk who states that my card is not authorizing. As I'm not checking out until Friday afternoon, I ask why this is a problem. Apparently, they need authorization or I will just walk out of the hotel without paying. I am stunned that Lisa has just said this, and remark that I do not appreciate being called a thief. She tells me that I can bring a check down to the front desk to cover my expenses, and that is what I do. Face to face, she continues to be rude and insinuate that I am not going to pay. I write a check and explain that I am using my debit card (due to forgetting of the wallet) and that my husband will be depositing money into my account tomorrow to cover my stay. She says that that will be fine as long as the funds are there by 5 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, 3/6/2008). I'm still a bit shell-shocked from being called a deadbeat and a thief, but I had an evening conference to attend.

Fast forward to this morning, where I had a conference from 8 am until noon. Afterwards, I stop and pick up a Arby's roast beef sandwich to go. I plan to eat in my room before I go to my afternoon and evening appointments. When I get back to the hotel, my key does not work. I go down to the front desk and they call the manager, Tim, who tells me that they still cannot authorize the card. Again, as I explain to him, my husband will be depositing sufficient funds this afternoon because I only have my debit card. I also explain I have no cell phone and no other cards with me. I am then told that until they receive authorization, I will not be allowed in my room. I again state that I was told I had until 5 p.m. and that is also what my husband was made aware of. I am again told that I will not be allowed in my room until they have authorization. Tim also echoes the sentiment of the manager of the previous day and states that he does not believe that I will pay for my room.

At this point I am extremely frustrated, I was told I had until 5 p.m. to have the authorization go through, I have no cell phone, and I WAS NEVER TOLD I WOULD BE LOCKED OUT OF MY ROOM if authorization wasn't there by noon. I have been accused of being a deadbeat and a thief and treated like trash. To add insult to injury, my sandwich is cold and my monthly girl time just started. So I'm also starving and without feminine hygiene products. It's also really cold here in Denver and I'm in a skirt and heels.

I've emailed the Kimpton hotels customer service and got the standard sorry for your inconvience reply. However, I am absolutely furious at what has occurred and I'm locked out of my room. Any advice or publicity you can give to my plight would help, and the sooner the better. I have access to email at the convention center, but that is my only form of communication.

If this happens again (we know, we know, it won't), we'd seriously consider FedExing your missing items overnight. Yes, it's extra money that you probably don't have, but being stuck by yourself in a strange city without proper access to your accounts is too risky should an emergency occur.

Readers, any suggestions?

He said other passengers aboard Flight 896 became agitated over the situation, and the flight attendant, apparently after phone consultation with the cockpit, tried to administer oxygen from a portable tank and mask, but the tank was empty.

Mr. Oliver said two doctors and two nurses who were aboard tried to administer oxygen from a second tank, which was also empty.

Sonja Whitemon, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, would not comment on Mr. Oliver's claims of faulty medical equipment aboard the plane.

Ms. Desir was placed on the floor and a nurse tried to resuscitate her, but to no avail, Mr. Oliver said. "I cannot believe what is happening on the plane," he said, sobbing. "She cannot get up, and nothing on the plane works."

(Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)

"Woman, 44, Dies on Plane With 2 Empty Oxygen Tanks " [New York Times]

(Airplane photo: Adrian Pingstone)

UPDATE: American Airlines disputes this story.

Christine doesn't usually fly United, and only got booked with them when she had to reschedule a flight at the last minute:

I slept for the bulk of the flight and when I woke up, I realized I needed to take sinus decongestion pills to avoid sinus pain during the descent. Because I am a frequent air traveller, I knew that I only had 30 minutes left in the flight and if I didn't take the pills, the pain would be unbearable. I would have gone to ask for a cup of water myself, except I was in a middle seat and I didn't want to disturb the passenger seated next to me. So, I pushed the flight attendant call button above my head. This is something I have done on other planes many times in the past and I didn't think it would be a problem.

After 5 minutes, I looked around to see if the attendants were busy with other customers. The aisles were clear and the attendants were in the back of the plane. They seemed to be talking to each other and I assumed they were busy, but I eventually realized they weren't preparing or doing anything other than chatting. One of the attendants looked up and saw me, so I waved—I assumed that maybe the button system wasn't working and that they didn't know. I thought that, if she saw me waving and if she saw the orange light on, she would come over. The attendant turned back to the other attendant and started talking again. I was at a loss for what to do.

Eventually, the passenger in the seat next to me woke up and asked me if I needed to get up. I said I had been trying to avoid bothering him by calling for the attendant, but after 10 minutes, it didn't seem like they were coming. He graciously got up and I went to the back to the attendants, who were chatting.

I said to the attendants, "Sorry to bother you. I don't know if you saw the call button or anything, but I just wanted a cup of water. I didn't want to disturb the fellow next to me because I have an aisle seat."

The attendant who was standing—I believe she was of Asian descent, but I didn't get her name—said curtly, "That button is just for emergencies, not water." The other attendant didn't say anything.

I said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I have used that button before for water and, besides, the little figure on the button is carrying a cup. I assumed I could use that button to request water."

She repeated that, again, the button was for emergencies only. She gave me the water, I took my sinus medicine, gave her the empty cup, and asked how I was to turn off the button. She said that it would turn off if I pressed it again.

I was really surprised because I have been flying my whole life and I have pressed those buttons before and I've never been told that they were for emergencies only. I'm not used to receiving such brusque service, either. After I sat down, I realized that if this had truly been an emergency, neither of the attendants would have come to help me. There was no way of discerning between an emergency and a request for water without having first come to me. I know I'm a bit slow, otherwise I would have brought this up with them when I was still standing and talking to them but then again, they didn't seem to be in the mood for providing customer service. I decided to e-mail my feedback instead.

It is arguable whether or not needing water to take sinus pills prior to descent qualifies as an emergency, although I would like to point out that by the time I received the water, we were close to descending and the sinus pain would have been incredibly debilitating if I had to wait a few minutes longer for the pills to start working.

I think a more appropriate response would have been to come to my seat when the button was pushed. If it had not been an emergency, the attendant might have said to me, "Those buttons are for emergency only, not for water. If you want water, please come up and request it in the future." I think this would have been appropriate and reasonable response.

Also, if these buttons are, in fact, for emergencies and not water requests, perhaps the buttons should be labeled, "For Emergencies Only." Also, what constitutes an emergency for using the buttons?

• she slept for most of the flight, so unless she is a horrible sleepwalker or has night terrors, she couldn't have been that much of a high-maintenance passenger;
• she waited 10 minutes before getting up;
• she got the water herself;
• the little figure on the call button is holding a cup; and
• the button isn't labeled "for emergencies only".

Our first reaction was to think Christine should have insisted that the flight attendants do their job properly. The trouble with that is, airlines have us all by the balls right now and know that if we act even the least bit exasperated they can accuse us of endangering the flight. We've seen "Flight Plan," and we know where that leads. So we're not sure what she should have done. (But sending the above email to corporate is a good start.)

Clearly, Christine, that is an emergency cup on the button, which you should only request in the event your plane is crashing. An emergency cup may just save your life one day! We're not sure how, though, so this looks like a good place to end this post.

(Photo: Zinnia.)

Barbara later told reporters, "Luckily I had a $5 bill. I gave it to her."

Workers at Staten Island Physician Practice (SIPP) were appalled when they learned of what had happened to Mrs. Antonelli, calling it "insane" and "crazy."

"It's not our policy," said Sally Cohen, center administrator for SIPP, who was surprised that someone would worry about payment on the spot instead of billing the patient after the fact. She said she will investigate what happened and address the situation with the employee. "We're all in this for medicine. If it is an incident, I will take care of that."

Mrs. Antonelli's son, Thomas, rushed to RUMC after she was brought there and was stunned when he heard the story from his mother.

"She's on a stretcher and they're worrying about five dollars," he said, pointing out that if the receptionist was acting against policy, some of the other workers could have stopped her on her way out the door. "It's insane. When I go there [over the weekend], I'm definitely going to go in and find out who that woman was."

Doctor's office commits cardiac infraction [The Staten Island Advance via Gothamist]

UPDATE: Comcast PR says this information is incorrect. Their statement, inside...

...it has come to my attention that Comcast does not run any checks to see if their e911 service is working on your Comcast Digital Voice (CDV) service this means that if your house is on fire and you call 911 with a Comcast phone it might not work. Problems can occur on a account basis so your neighbors service might be fine but you may not be able to connect to your local 911 service or it may route you to the local 911 administrator's line. The only way you will know if there is a problem is if you call 911. This scared me as well as my co-workers when we were informed.

Comcast PR rebuts:

The information that was provided for this posting is false. Comcast does check to see if our E911 service is working and tests our 911/E911 capabilities regularly. We take 911/E911 very seriously, as any phone provider should, and we comply with the FCC's E911 requirements and follow accepted industry procedures and practices on 911/E911.

We're not sure yet of what the recovery time will be, so we don't know when she'll need to fly back. Could be a week, could be more. Luckily she has her bf's family there with whom she can stay during the recovery. I live in Munich, and my mother lives in Portland, Or where my sister will finally be returning to. Alaska Airlines is who she was flying with from Seattle to Portland and they said no problem with a reschedule for no fee which really makes American look like the bad guy.

The booking agency she used, Students Travel or something like that said they could draft some letters to send to AA, but that we shouldn't expect any sort of a response for 6-8 months, and 'no' would be the likely response.

I know I should probably write up a formal letter of request, with some paperwork, and perform an executive e-mail bomb but I'm not sure how quickly I can get paperwork from the ER in London to me, in Munich.

Do you have any advice/recommendations?

John

The most frequent complication of appendicitis is perforation. Perforation of the appendix can lead to a periappendiceal abscess (a collection of infected pus) or diffuse peritonitis (infection of the entire lining of the abdomen and the pelvis). The major reason for appendiceal perforation is delay in diagnosis and treatment. In general, the longer the delay between diagnosis and surgery, the more likely is perforation. The risk of perforation 36 hours after the onset of symptoms is at least 15%. Therefore, once appendicitis is diagnosed, surgery should be done without unnecessary delay.

Sheesh. We hope your sister gets better soon! Absolutely launch the mighty executive email carpet bomb. Check the bottom of this post for a list of target addresses. You can also try a chargeback with your sister's credit card company.

What other ideas do you Consumerists have? Can anyone get Richard Branson to swoop in and offer a lift on Virgin Atlantic? Share your wisdom in the comments.

Appendicitis and Appendectomy [MedicineNet]
RELATED: Even If You Have Colon Cancer, Spirit Air Doesn't Give Refunds
(Photo: Getty Images)

The goal is to balance the need for precious liquidity with a need for steady growth. Consider using the following:

• High Interest Saving Accounts: Our personal favorite, these accounts allow you to keep your money completely liquid while providing a risk-free APY that usually exceeds 4%. The accounts usually limit you to no more than 6 transactions per month.
• CDs: Higher rates can be found with long-term CDs, but penalty fees can undermine liquidity, which makes them less than ideal for rainy day funds. To get around the limits, you can ladder your CDs so the funds become available at regular, staggered intervals.
• Money-Market Accounts: Traditional money-market accounts are usually constrained by fees and minimums, but money-market mutual funds can provide a slightly high rate of return for the more adventurous - just watch out for fees.

Where to Stash Your Emergency Cash [Washington Post]
(Photo: 4ever30something)

Missouri is the only state without a statewide fee or tax for wireless 911 service. Voters have twice rejected ballot measures to raise taxes for 911 service, most recently in 2002.

Public Safety Director Mark James told lawmakers Monday that service needs to improve, and recommended a 75-cent monthly fee per cell phone number.

That fee would generate about $33.8 million a year, nearly as much as what's collected now through the fee on landline numbers, state emergency officials said.

"Ours is one of the worst in the nation, and actions must be taken to correct this life-threatening problem," James said. "I pray that we don't have to have a catastrophe occur before we have the courage to fix this situation."

Cell phone fee sought for 911 service [AP]
(Photo: Wellzee)

Yup, confirmation from Vonage that they accepted our E-911 address settings, again, set to the wrong address. Basically, this means that if we had to dial 911 one day later, paramedics would have had to have been rerouted from the address they were provided when we called in, which is over 10 minutes away, to our home - all thanks to Vonage and their incompetence in designing a fool-proof E-911 system.

Vonage Keeps Changing Our E-911 Settings To An Incorrect Address [Gear Live]
(Photo: Joe Shlabotnik)

The inability of students and others at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., to make cell phone calls during the April 16 shooting tragedy added to the chaos surrounding the events of the day, students and others have reported in media interviews.

"We did see some call blocking," [Verizon's Spokesperson] said. "We did also see some heavy text message traffic. A lot of folks have learned that it's much easier to get a text message through at that time than to get a voice call through."

"We had no problems with text messaging," [Cingular's Spokesperson] noted. "It's a great alternative in these situations."

Wireless Problems Played Part in Chaos at Virginia Tech [Eweek]